Peak Wins North Slope Crane Support Contract

Published: October 8, 2009

CIRI/Nabors subsidiary provides services for new oil, development fields on the Slope

Peak Oilfield Services Co. recently won a multi-season crane support contract on Alaska's North Slope from Italian oil company Eni. Eni is developing a new oil field on the Slope, Nikaitchuq, which it says will produce an estimated 180 million barrels of oil. The field is located at Oliktok Point, north of the Kuparuk field.

Eni had announced the postponement of development at Nikaitchuq in February due to a number of economic and logistical factors. The company submitted a new development plan to Alaska's Division of Oil and Gas in August, however, which resumed the project's aggressive timeline.

Peak will primarily support the development of Nikaitchuq with its fleet of heavy cranes, Alaska's largest. Peak will supply multiple cranes to assemble the facility modules Eni is currently having built in Alaska and the Lower 48.

"Our fleet ranges in size from a 50-ton rough terrain crane to a 350-ton Manitowac crane," said Patrick Walsh, Peak vice president. "The modules will either be trucked or barged up to the Slope. We'll come in with our heavy cranes and put together the facilities as the modules arrive."

Peak has also been supporting ExxonMobil Production Co.'s development of its Point Thomson field this season. Point Thomson is a natural gas and condensate field located 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay that holds approximately 8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, about 25 percent of the Slope's proven gas reserves, and 200 million barrels of condensate.

ExxonMobil is in the process of drilling two wells at Point Thomson. Peak provided drilling support services for both wells, included hauling the Nabors 27E drilling rig to the location over an ice road. Peak also hauled numerous barge loads of equipment and material to the Point Thomson location.

Peak provides a wide range of equipment, maintenance, support and construction services to oil, gas and chemical projects on Alaska's North Slope and in Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and Valdez. Peak is jointly owned by CIRI and Nabors Industries Ltd. The company has become an industry leader in oil and gas exploration support, heavy hauling, logistics and workplace safety. For more information about Peak, please go online to www.peakalaska.com.